Handle with Care
by AlexisSophia
Summary: Something's going on between Callen and Kensi, but will it be able to survive all that they've gone through? Cowritten with xana4.
1. I missed you

**Hey everyone, it's Lexa. Sarah (xana4) and I are co-writing this story together. Please review and tell us what you think! I hope you all like it! **

Agent G. Callen was looking for someone. His favorite agent, Kensi Blye. He needed to talk to her, but she was nowhere to be found. It was his second day back after his medical leave, and yesterday, Sam has told him that Kensi had missed him the most out of all the agents when he was gone. Maybe it was because they had always been so close. Kensi was the only one who could understand him, most likely because she had a rough childhood too. They were both full of problems, but that could be why they got along so well.

As soon as he had walked into the agency headquarters, she had given him a warm welcoming hug. They hadn't spoken since then, and the senior agent feared that she could be mad at him for some reason.

At the end of the day, Callen left headquarters and went to Pete's, a small bar that he knew Kensi was fond of. Peter, the bartender, had no idea of their real names or what they did for a living, but he was a good guy who was always ready to listen to any of the agent's problems.

Walking into the bar, Callen spotted Kensi immediately, sitting on a barstool with a beer in her hands.

He sat next to her and ordered a beer for himself. Although she didn't look at him, he could tell she knew he was there. She had an amazing sixth-sense, just one of the many things that made her one of NCIS's best agents.

After a couple of seconds she finally spoke, still not looking at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, staring straight ahead.

"I came to see you."

"Why?"

"Because Sam told me that you were the one who had missed me the most." he admitted

Without thinking, Kensi whipped her head around to face her colleague.

"And that actually surprises you? Besides me, Hetty is the only woman in there and she doesn't show her emotions and God forbid men to show any kind of emotion in front of other people."

"So you're saying that Sam told me that because you were the only one who actually admitted that you missed me?"

"No, I was probably the one who missed you the most…"

"And why is that?" Callen asked

"Because Sam never stops in that donut house that I love on the way to work!"

They both laughed, and then sat in silence, sipping their beers and thinking about each other.

The next day at work, Sam noticed that something was different between Kensi and Callen. Not only were they talking again, they seemed to be even closer than they were before Callen was shot.

Kensi had arrived at work with a smile on her face, something that hadn't happened since before Callen was shot. And when she saw Callen walk through the door, she _winked_ at him.

That wasn't the only weird thing going on; Callen had brought Kensi a doughnut. This was getting more confusing by the second.

The whole day, Kensi and Callen seemed closer. They went out for lunch together, not bothering to invite the rest of the team. And Callen asked Kensi to come check out a victim's house with him, something he normally would have asked Sam to do.

Sam wasn't the only one who noticed the differences between the 2 members of their team. Nate was definitely on to them too. Once Callen and Kensi had left to go check out the victim's house, Nate motioned for Sam to follow him.

"What's going on with Callen and Kensi?" Nate asked.

"Why do you assume I know?" Sam retorted

"Well, you're Callen's best friend; I thought he might have told you something."

"No one told me anything, but yesterday Kensi was completely ignoring Callen, now they're all buddy-buddy"

"We know that Kensi missed Callen a lot when he was gone, probably more than anyone else on this team. Do you think there's something going on between the two of them?" Nate asked

"What, you mean like 'more than friends'?"

"It makes sense, they've always been close. Maybe almost losing Callen made them realize it."

"No way! Nothing is going on between them. Callen would never date a member of his team."

"I never said they were dating!" Nate said, "But you must have noticed how they look at each other sometimes"

"Okay, so maybe they're close, but that doesn't explain why yesterday they were barely speaking to each other and now they're going out to lunch, smiling, and winking at each other!"

"When it comes to Kensi and Callen, it's probably better if we don't even try to guess. They're both way too messy. But, if I had to guess, I would say that they would get together within a month!"

Sam shook his head.

"No way…"

"You don't think that they'll get together?" Nate asked incredulously.

"I KNOW that they'll get together but I don't think that that will happen within a month. I give them three weeks tops!"

"Wanna make a bet on it?"

"Sure. 20 bucks?"

"It's on! But setting them up doesn't count…"

"We're talking about Kensi and Callen here…We couldn't set them up even if we wanted too!"

Sam and Nate were laughing when they were interrupted by a female voice that had obviously been listening to their talk.

"I would like to get in that bet too."

Sam and Nate turned around and were surprised to see Hetty standing there with a smile on her face.

"I bet 20 bucks that they'll get together in 2 months. They're both too stubborn to admit their feeling before that. I've been waiting for them to do so for the past 3 years…"

Sam frowned.

"You know something that we don't?"

Hetty gave them a mysterious smile and went to her office, leaving Sam and Nate just standing there, more confused than before.

Hetty sat on her desk and remembered the first time that those two agents met eachother. Callen had been extremely reluctant to accept a new agent so Hetty had agreed to let him test her.

Callen had told her his plan and Hetty had given instructions to Kensi for the new mission. Hetty had sent her to a bar to track down a drug dealer (Callen). She was supposed to make him talk somehow so Hetty had given her a very little black dress that looked like it had been made for her. Kensi had gone to the bar and had spotted the man right away. Hetty and Eric were following her every move and praying that Callen wouldn't make her work too hard.

**Flashback**

Kensi went to sit next to the suspect and sat next to him on the bar. She noticed that he looked at her body before speaking.

"Hello, sweetie! May I buy you a drink?"

Kensi mentally rolled her eyes but gave him a very bright smile.

"Of course you can."

Callen thought that this was her first mistake because you can never drink while working but what she said next eased his worries.

"I must warn you that I have a wedding tomorrow morning so I can't have any type of alcohol…it wouldn't look good for the bridesmaid to be with a massive hangover!"

Callen smiled at her.

"What do you want to drink, then?"

"I'll just have an orange juice!"

Callen turned to the man on the other side of the bar and ordered for two orange juices. The man gave it to him and Callen handed one to Kensi.

"Thank you!"

"So, why are you alone in a bar on the night before a friend's wedding?"

Callen was trying hard to find something wrong in her work method but she wasn't making it easy on him.

"I think that she's making a huge mistake so I skipped the reversal dinner!"

"That's just awesome. What excuse did you give to the poor girl?"

"I told her that I was going to see my brother because he was only staying in town for a night!"

"And she actually believed in that?"

"I don't think that she did but she knows that she shouldn't push me. She knows that I know her deepest and darkest secrets…"

"And doesn't she know your deepest and darkest secrets?"

"I have too many. Do you want me to tell you one of them?"

"Are you going to tell me one of your deepest and darkest secrets before you even know my name?"

"I already know you're name. You're Michael Andrews."

"How do you know about that?"

"I have a friend that is a regular costumer of yours."

"What's the name of that friend?"

"He asked me to keep it a secret so I cannot tell you that. I'm a very good friend!"

Callen knew that he was standing in front of a born operator so he smiled and looked at the place where he knew that the camera was and showed thumbs up.

Hetty smiled and so did Eric.

Callen just got closer to Kensi and whispered in her hear:

"Welcome to NCIS!"

***End of Flashback***

Hetty knew that sooner or later those two would be together. It was just a matter of time. She was even willing to bet on it.


	2. Staying over

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took a little longer than I had expected to get this chapter out, but I hope it will be worth the wait. Please leave a review if you liked it, have any comments, or if you have any ideas about where you want the story to go.**

Chapter 2

Kensi, Nate, and Dom had already left NCIS headquarters, but G. Callen was sitting at his desk filling out paperwork. Hetty had finally put her foot down and told him that if his paperwork wasn't finished by tomorrow, he wouldn't be allowed to work on any current cases. So, he really had no choice.

Sam had just finished packing up his stuff and was ready to leave, but stopped at Callen's desk before exiting.

"I have an empty couch at my house if you want" he offered.

"Too much noise" Callen replied, not looking up from his paperwork.

Sam shrugged and left, if Callen wanted to refuse every offer he got, that was his problem.

Hetty was also getting ready to go home when she noticed that Kensi had come back, and was now sitting on her desk, looking at Callen.

Callen didn't look up at Kensi, but he could feel her eyes staring at him.

"You know, my house isn't far from here." she started.

"I know" Callen replied, not looking up

"It isn't too hot or too cold"

"I know"

"There isn't much noise" she continued.

Callen finally looked up, and seeing her smiling face, he realized that she was up to something.

"Do you have a point here or are you just describing your house to me?" he asked

"I have a spare bedroom too"

"I've been to your house before, I know what it's like" he stated.

Kensi rolled her eyes at his stupidity before getting up and taking the paperwork away from him.

"You're going to stay at my house. Come on, right now" she ordered

Kensi could be really bossy sometimes, but at least she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Do you really think that that is a good idea?" Callen asked.

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea? Now come on, I wanna go home"

Kensi dangled her keys in front of his face and grabbed them before getting up to leave the building. Kensi followed, smiling.

"I need the keys back." she said, "because I'm driving"

Callen laughed and shook his head. Kensi tried to take the keys away from him but Callen was taller and stronger. To avoid further struggle, Callen lifted her and carried her on his shoulder to the car.

The two laughing agents left the building under the intense stare of their boss. Maybe she wasn't going to win the bet after all, it sure seemed like they could get together at any moment.

Callen had been to Kensi's house once before, but he had only seen the kitchen and living room through the front door. Now that she was giving him the grand tour, he realized that he had never seen a house decorated as amazingly as Kensi's was.

At some point, he had asked her who decorated her house. She had explained to him that her best friend's mother was an interior decorator, and had designed her entire house.

They had first walked through the kitchen, which most chefs would envy. It was gorgeous, the walls were yellow, the cabinets white, all the appliances were stainless steel. The modern cups and dishes were lined up on white shelves that lined the whole room, and 2 modern white barstools stood next to the island. There was no kitchen table, but she didn't really need one, living alone.

They continued on to the living room, a modern white space complete with white and cream furniture. The simplicity was so very Kensi.

Next was Kensi's bedroom, and it was big. Everything was turquoise, silver, or white, and Callen wasn't surprised to see a dressing table with tons of makeup and hair supplies piled on top, and a huge closet filled with clothes. Oh, and a huge mirror. It was every girls dream, and it was perfectly Kensi.

They stopped in front of the closed door to the next room.

"I did this one myself" Kensi explained, "It's for when my nieces come to stay with me"

She opened the door. Inside was a pink explosion. A crib and a small toddler bed, lots of pink and white chairs, baby dolls, doll houses, a changing table, dresser, and a toy box filled the room.

"Wow" Callen commented, "You must really love your nieces!"

Kensi laughed, "Yeah, they like to come over as often as my sister will let them. They're actually going to stay with me this weekend while my sister and her husband are out of town."

"I'm sure that'll be a lot of fun."

"It always is." Kensi said, smiling. "Come on, I want to show you your room."

The guest bedroom was right across the hall from the girls room. When Kensi opened the door, Callen saw a large bed with lots of pillows, a huge painting on the wall, and lots of windows.

"It's awesome" he commented

"Glad you like it, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want" Kensi said, "it gets kind of boring on my own."

Callen looked around and then back at his favorite agent. He wasn't sure why but something about her and her house gave him a sense of comfort that he had never had before. He knew that this was going to be good although he really didn't trust himself around her when they were all alone.

"Thank you, Kenz."

The younger agent smiled and hugged him before saying goodnight and going to her own bedroom for a deserved good night of rest.

Callen woke up the next morning and realized that he had slept better than he could ever remember. There had been no nightmares or strange noises in the middle of the night, which he was grateful for.

After a quick shower, he went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee but noticed that Kensi had other plans. She was standing over the stove making breakfast. He knew that she loved to eat but bacon and eggs for breakfast was so cliché. G cleared his throat before greeting her.

"Good morning!"

Kensi smiled and turned around, offering him a plate of bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee.

"Good morning!" she replied "I know that your morning habit is to drink a giant cup of coffee on an empty stomach but that's not going to happen today. I never leave the house without a good breakfast and you're not going to either."

Callen smiled at her bossiness but grabbed the plate and joined her at the counter to eat. This was going to be even better than he had first thought. Kensi was like a mother, a sister, a friend and even a girlfriend wrapped in one package and Callen couldn't be happier.

Soon it was time to go to work and face Sam's questions about why he had refused his couch but had accepted Kensi's offer. He thought that in a competition between Sam's couch and Kensi's spare bedroom, Kensi's would win hands down but he probably wasn't going to tell Sam that.

At that moment, it was time to start another fight over who was driving to work.


	3. Tuna and Pasta

**Hello everyone, here is the next chapter of Handle with Care! Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts, and favorites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 3

Callen and Kensi entered the operation's center and walked to their desks. Sam was talking with Nate but stopped abruptly when he saw them together.

"So you can stay at her house but not in mine?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Callen just smiled and stretched his hand in Kensi's direction. She went to her pocket and slapped 5 dollars in his palm, rolling her eyes. G smiled at her and looked at Sam.

"She offered a bed…you only offered a couch! Sorry Sam, but she wins."

Sam shrugged and sat on his desk in front of his laptop. He didn't seem upset, just focused on whatever he was doing. G was honestly glad that he had dropped the subject. The last thing he needed was to try to explain to Sam why he had decided to stay at Kensi's house. Suddenly, Sam laughed and looked straight at Callen.

"So tell me, G...How long exactly does she take to get ready in the morning?"

Kensi didn't even bother to look up from her paperwork. Callen rolled his eyes.

"Don't even go there, Sam!" he laughed.

They both laughed but Kensi was already used to their mocking so she just shrugged it off. They had given her a hard time when she had first joined the team. Even though they had always treated her well, being the new girl was complicated. She had worked hard to win their respect and now they saw her as an equal and not as the junior agent anymore. She had proved to them many times that she was more than capable of protecting herself and the team. Better yet, she had already proved to them that she was a born operator and with that she had won their respect. Kensi knew that this mocking was just their extremely twisted way of letting her now that they cared and that she was a part of the team.

On the way back to Kensi's house at the end of the day, Kensi was telling Callen all about her nieces.

"Amber is 5" she explained, "and Renee is 6 months."

"Wait, 6 months?" Callen asked, "doesn't that mean you have to like, change her diaper and stuff?"

"Yes, you do" Kensi laughed.

"What about sleeping? Do they sleep?"

"Amber sleeps through the night. Renee usually wakes up once to be fed and have her diaper changed." she explained.

"Oh, well that's good" Callen commented, "What kinds of stuff do you do with them when they visit?"

"Well, they like going to the park, and the pool. Sometimes we go to the beach, or shopping, and Amber loves playing in the playroom at my house."

"I can imagine, it's basically a paradise for little girls."

After a short silence, Callen turned to Kensi, who was driving.

"Do you think they'll like me?"

"Of course they will!" she replied. "They'll probably be your best friends in no time."

After a few minutes, they arrived back at Kensi's house.

"I'm gonna go to the store to get some stuff for dinner and food for when Amber and Renee get here. Did you want to come?" Kensi asked.

"Actually, I think I'll just stay here."

"Ok, that's fine; I'll be back in a little while."

Callen just sat on the couch thinking about everything that had been going on lately. He had not only moved to Kensi's house but he was also going to meet her nieces. He was actually excited about that. G had never dealt with small children but he guessed that it would be a fun experience. He had given up the idea of having a wife and kids because he didn't know if he could ever be a good father and husband. He had never had someone to teach him how to be any of those things. Callen found himself looking forward to meet Kensi's nieces. He just hoped that she was right and that they would like him.

Callen looked at the kitchen and decided to make dinner. He was actually a great cook but it was something that he kept well hidden because Sam would never let him see the end of it if he found out.

Kensi opened the door to her house and set her keys on the table by the door. Then she noticed the amazing smell that was in the air. She smiled and went to the kitchen to find something that she had never imagined she would ever see. Callen was wearing an apron and was obviously cooking something. Kensi put the bags on the kitchen table and cleared her throat to let him know that she was there. G turned around for a few seconds and smiled at her before turning back to the stove.

"What are you cooking?" she asked

"My specialty: tuna with pasta! It tastes really good…you'll like it."

Kensi got closer and tried to peak but Callen turned around to block her view.

"You can't peek! Go put the groceries away and change clothes. I'll have the dinner ready when you come down and we can eat." he said, laughing. 

Kensi did as he told her and when she got there again, he had two dishes ready. The food didn't only smell great…it looked great too.

They took the plates and went to the living room to eat in front of the TV.

"So, your nieces coming tomorrow morning?" Callen confirmed.

Kensi nodded. The food was absolutely delicious. She would have never guessed that G Callen actually knew how to cook.

"Yes! They should be here at around 10 a.m., but don't be nervous…I already told you that they are going to love you right from the start!"

"I trust you! After all, I am pretty likeable…"

Kensi just laughed and threw a pillow at his head. He laughed too and they finished their meal while talking about everything and anything.


	4. The Moment

**Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter of Handle with Care! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added this fic to their favorites list. I'm glad that it's been getting positive feedback. Keep reading and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 4

G Callen woke up to the amazing smell of bacon and eggs. Kensi had made breakfast again; she always made breakfast for them in the mornings. His eating habits had changed greatly since he started staying with Kensi. No more coffee for breakfast, at least not just coffee. He smiled and got up to take a shower before he joined Kensi in the kitchen.

As soon as he had taken a shower and gotten dressed, G went downstairs to find Kensi sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper in front of her and a coffee cup in her hand. Her empty plate was in the center of the table and there was more coffee in the coffee maker. Her hair was also wet, making it obvious that she had just showered.

"Good morning" he greeted her as he went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Kensi lowered her newspaper and smiled at him.

"Good morning! How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Very well…what about you?"

"Good" she said simply, returning to her newspaper.

Callen looked around and suddenly a chill travelled down his body. He realized that this was all that he could ever want. If he could see Kensi every morning for the rest of his life, he would be a happy man. Of course, it would be much better to wake up and see her right there next to him on the bed…Callen shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't think about his friend like that. Although it had been a while since he had thought of her as just a friend. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help the way he felt about her. She was way more than just a friend. Maybe it was because they were both emotionally messed up...he wasn't sure why but he had a connection with Kensi that he had never had with anyone else before. Sometimes it felt like she could see right through him and not even Hetty could read him that well. That simple thought scared him but at the same time gave him a strange sense of security. It was nice to know that there was someone that he could talk to that wouldn't judge him, no matter what. Kensi was definitely that person.

He sat next to her at the table and started to eat his breakfast. He noticed for the first time that she was wearing only a green t-shirt with some red shorts. She was barefoot and he liked to see that relaxed side of her.

"Casey called me about an hour ago to tell me that she and the kids will be here in like…15 minutes."

"Okay! What are we supposed to do when they get here?"

Kensi laughed before getting up to do the dishes.

"Relax, G. They're easy to entertain…All you have to do is give them a few toys and they'll be happy for a few hours. After lunch, we'll take them to the beach! It's a beautiful day…"

Something about the idea of Kensi in a bikini made him smile. Callen went to Kensi and pushed her away from the dishes.

"You did breakfast, I'll do the dishes. Go back to your newspaper…"

Kensi smiled and sat back down on the table while he cleaned the washed everything. This was going to be a good day indeed…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Half an hour later, Kensi's sister and her 2 daughters had finally arrived. They were late, as usual, but at least Casey had got them there in one piece. She could be a reckless driver sometimes.

"Hey sis!" Kensi said, hugging Casey.

"Good to see you too Kenz" she replied. "And who's this?" she asked, noticing Callen standing off to the side.

"Casey, this is Callen. We work together and he's staying with me right now." Kensi explained.

"Nice to meet you Casey, Kensi's told me all about you and the girls." Callen said, shaking Casey's hand.

"Speaking of the girls, where are they?" Kensi asked.

"Lucas is just getting them and their stuff out of the car."

Just then, Casey's husband walked up the front steps, carrying a large duffel bag and a pink car seat with a sleeping baby strapped into it. Another little girl was walking next to him.

"Callen, these are my nieces" Kensi said, "Amber and Renee"

"Hi" Amber said shyly, half-hiding behind her father.

"Hi" Callen replied, looking almost as nervous as the little girl.

"Honey, we better get going if we're gonna make it to the hotel at a decent time" Lucas said to Casey.

"Okay. Kensi, you know what to do with the kids. Everything they need is in the bag. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I got it Case. Just have fun this weekend, you deserve it."

And with that, Casey and Lucas kissed their daughters goodbye and left them in the capable hands of their aunt.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So what do you want to do now?" Callen asked after both the girls had been put in their room for a short nap.

"I just want to relax before we go out with them but if you have a better idea I'd like to hear it…"

Callen thought for a moment. He had a couple of ideas that they could do while the girls were sleeping but it was probably better if he didn't suggest that they did what he had in mind. Instead, he just shrugged.

"We can just sit here if you want…the rest of the day is going to be hectic so its probably nest to get some rest now"

Kensi laughed a bit, lied down on the couch and, much to Callen's surprise, laid her head on his lap. She closed her eyes and Callen just stared at her for a few seconds, smiling. She had no idea of the effect that she had on him and he wasn't sure if he should let her know. Kensi started to talk again, with her eyes still closed:

"What did you think about the girls?"

"They're really cute, both of them. I think that the eldest is a bit shy around me, though."

"She's usually like that around someone that she doesn't know that well but you'll see that after a couple of minutes with you, she'll never want to let you go again."

"Yeah, I'm a really nice guy, after all!"

"And very modest too!"

Callen just laughed and before he could stop himself, he found his hand making its way to stroke her hair. G was afraid of her reaction but Kensi just smiled and leaned into his touch, letting him know that it was okay and that she was enjoying that. Kensi sat up, looking straight at G. She moved closer to him, and their lips were just inches apart.

They were interrupted by Renee crying, having just woken up from her nap. Suddenly, Kensi sprang up off the couch and quickly made her way to the girls room, not looking back at Callen

'Damn it' Callen thought as he made his way into the kitchen to gather some snacks for their day out. 'We were so close'. Now she was probably going to avoid getting too close to him for the rest of the day. The one time he had gotten Kensi to let her guard down for a minute, they were interrupted by the baby crying!


	5. Life's a beach

**Finally, the next installment of Handle with Care! I know, I know, it took a while to get this chapter out. Sorry about that. But here it is, I hope you all like it. And don't forget to review!**

Chapter 5

While Kensi got all the girls things together, Callen had packed a picnic basket with food so that they could have lunch at the beach. Soon, the girls were up and ready and they were headed to the car. It took Callen a few minutes to figure out how to install the car seats, but after that, they were on their way.

"Aunt Kensi, are we gonna go swimming?" Amber asked

"Yup, we're going to swim, and eat lunch, and maybe we'll get ice cream on the way home"

"Aunt Kensi, are you married to Callen?"

"No, we're not married sweetie" Kensi replied, "why do you ask that?"

"Cause Callen lives with you, and Mommy said that people only live together after they get married."

"Um, well…" Kensi stuttered, "Callen is just my friend, and I helped him out by letting him stay at my house."

"But I'm gonna be invited when you get married, right?" Amber continued.

"We'll see, okay Amber?"

After that, Amber dropped the subject of marriage, but continued to talk for the rest for the rest of the car ride to the beach.

15 minutes later, they were walking down the beach. Kensi was holding Renee while Amber walked next to Callen, chatting away.

"My favorite ice cream is strawberry" she informed him, "what's yours?"

"I like chocolate" Callen replied.

Kensi smiled to herself, she was glad that Callen was getting along with Amber so well. She found herself thinking about what a good father Callen could be. Would he ever have kids? Would _they_ ever have kids? No, she couldn't think about that. She and Callen were just _friends_, nothing more. Except for what happened earlier that day. They had almost kissed, and she really wanted to kiss him. She couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if she kissed him. She needed to think about something else, something that did not involve kissing Callen.

God, this was going to be hard.

X

X

X

Kensi and Callen were lying on their towels, watching Amber play with her new friend. Amber had met the other little girl as soon as they arrived, and now they we're playing in the sand right in front of where Kensi and Callen had set up the stuff. Kensi hadn't wanted Amber to leave her sight. Callen was playing with Renee and the baby was smiling at him and laughing. Kensi was glad that her nieces liked Callen, but she couldn't help but wish that Renee hadn't interrupted their moment that morning. Kensi decided that it was probably time to go for a swim, so she took off her dress and adjusted her red and black bikini before turning to Callen.

"I'm going for a swim…Will you be okay here with them?"

Callen looked up at her and his heart began to beat faster. She had absolutely no idea how good she looked in that bikini and how badly he wanted to take it off of her. Callen tried to rid those thoughts from his head, there were children around for God's sake! He cleared his throat and smiled at her, concentrating on keeping his eyes on her face instead of her body.

"Don't worry…we'll be just fine." He reassured her.

Kensi smiled, then turned away and walked towards the water. She was a very good NCIS agent for…she could read people like a book, and had noticed the way that Callen had looked at her. There was definitely something going on with him, and it gave her a strange sense of power. She knew that her nieces were there with them but she could still have some fun. She could drive Callen insane without Amber or Renee even noticing.

During her quick swim, Kensi had devised a plan. She made her way back to the towels, going over it in her head. She noticed his look once again when he saw her wet body but she pretended to be oblivious. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself off before lying down to get some sun. Callen's eyes were burning two holes on her back, but she just smiled.

The sun made quick work of warming her up, much to Kensi's delight. Renee had fallen asleep and Amber was still having fun with her new friend. Kensi got up and went to sit next to Callen, trying to act natural.

"I'm burning…the sun is way too hot! Can you apply some sunscreen on my back, please?" she asked as innocently as she could.

Kensi knew that this trick was as old as the hills, but she couldn't care less. She wanted to see him squirm and this would hopefully do just the trick.

Callen reached for the sunscreen and noticed that his hands were trembling slightly. This woman would be the death of him. A small part of his brain tried to warn him that she knew exactly what she was doing and that she was trying to trick him, but he didn't mind that one bit. If her evil plan involved him getting to touch her gorgeous body, he wasn't complaining.

Callen slowly put some sunscreen on his hands, and then made a show of rubbing it into Kensi's skin, massaging her shoulders as he did so. He could play the game she had started.

His hands felt so good rubbing her back that Kensi had to resist the urge to turn around and kiss him right there and then. But she forced herself to stay still, she didn't want to have to explain to Amber, and then probably to Casey, what had happened. Maybe executing her plan in a public place, and in front of her nieces, hadn't been the best idea after all.

"Done" Callen announced, closing the bottle of sunscreen and returning it to Kensi's bag.

"Thanks" Kensi replied, now slightly shy.

Callen moved his hand, interlacing it with Kensi's.

Maybe it had been a good plan after all.

X

X

X

**As always, thanks to Sarah (xana4) for being my wonderful cowriter!**


	6. That Little Voice

**Hello again everyone! I'm going to start off by apologizing for the late update. I'll be the first to say that I've probably been taking on a little more than I can handle lately. Secondly, all the credit for this chapter goes to Sarah. All I did was edit it ****. I hope you all like it!**

The ride back home was filled with laughter. The girls had loved their day in the beach with Aunt Kensi and Callen, who Amber had decided that it was Kensi's boyfriend. They had eaten lunch on the beach, and Kensi couldn't help but notice how caring and thoughtful Callen had been with the girls during the entire day. He made sure that they weren't hungry, that they were hydrated and that they didn't catch too much sun. Kensi, on the other hand, was distracted by thoughts of Callens hands all over her body. She needed him, and if Callen's looks were anything to go by, he needed her just as badly.

As soon as they arrived back at Kensi's house, Callen took Renee out of the car and Amber followed Kensi inside. Callen laid a sleepy Renee in her crib while Kensi took Amber for a bath to wash all the sand off. After she was done, they all sat on the living room to watch a movie before dinner. Suddenly, the phone rang. Kensi quickly stood up, shifting Amber off of her lap.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello, little sister! How's everything going? Are the girls behaving?"

Kensi was expecting a call from Casey. As a mother, Casey needed to check in on her girls as often as possible.

"Don't worry Case, everything's great. The girls had an amazing time at the beach, Renee is asleep, and Amber, Callen, and I are watching a movie before bed." she replied, hoping she could successfully reassure her sister.

"Please tell me that you're not letting my daughter watch one of your horrible horror movies" Casey warned.

"Of course not, we're watching _Finding Nemo_, Callen picked it up as the video store."

As soon as she mentioned Callen, she knew it had been a mistake.

"Let's talk about the hottie then…who is he? I didn't have time to question you this morning but I have plenty of time for that now. Start talking Kenz."

Kensi rolled her eyes, though she was well aware that Casey couldn't see it.

"Don't get your hopes up Casey, he's my partner at work, and he's staying here for a while. Nothing more than that."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid, sis… what's going on between the two of you?"

Kensi rolled her eyes once again. She wasn't in the mood for a long conversation with her sister about relationships. Denying her commitment issues was much easier. Though both of them had gone through their father's death, it had been different for Kensi. Their parents had divorced when Kensi was just two years old and Casey was 5. Casey had gone to live with their mother while Kensi had stayed with their father. Therefore, Casey had never been as close to him as Kensi. She couldn't possibly know how it had felt for Kensi to lose him. All the people that she had lost since then hadn't helped either. She knew that she could trust Callen, she knew that he would never intentionally hurt her, but the little voice that had appeared after her father died reminded her that he had not meant to hurt her either.

"Casey, I don't want to talk about this right now, okay?" Kensi pleaded.

"I'm your sister, you're supposed to talk to me about these things." Casey pouted.

"I know Casey, but the problem is that I don't know how to deal with this so I can't talk to you about anything."

"So you like him?" her sister continued.

"Yes, but I don't know how to deal with this just yet. When I do, I promise that I'll talk to you about it. Can I go now?"

Casey sighed. Her little sister was a giant mess but she loved her anyway, and she knew that she would eventually come around. The fact that she openly admitted that she liked Callen was definitely a good sign and it meant that there was something inside of her that knew that she could trust him with her heart.

"I'll call tomorrow morning to let you know at what time we'll go to pick up the girls. Have fun, sweetie!"

"You too, Casey. Bye!"

With that, Kensi hung up. Carefully, she made her way back into the living room, where she sat back down next to Callen. When he smiled at her, her mood improved instantly, which was a bit scary considering the fact that he had absolutely no idea of the effect that he had over her. She guessed that it was better that way. If he knew the things that he did to her, he would most likely take advantage of that to make her pay for all her teasing in the past few days.

Amber yawned, and much to her dislike, both the adult noticed.

"It looks like someone's tired, time for bed, Amber." Kensi said, trying to act calm and relaxed even though she was really quite anxious. The thought of being alone with Callen both scared and excited her. She knew that deep down she wanted to be completely alone with him but there was still that annoying voice telling her that maybe he didn't even have feelings for her, maybe he wouldn't try to make a move on her.

Kensi hoped that Amber would deny it, but the little girl was too tired to argue, making Kensi instantly regret her words. She should have kept her mouth shut and kept watching the movie. Well, maybe she had done the right thing because she was a responsible aunt and she didn't want her niece to be too tired the next day.

Amber turned to Callen, stretching her arms in his direction, letting him know that she wanted him to carry her up to bed. Callen just laughed and took her in his arms. Kensi followed them down the hallway with a smile on her face. It was amazing how well they got along and a strange feeling started to form inside of her. Callen would be a great father, someday. That realization scared her because she could picture herself with Callen and a little kid with blue eyes and blond hair, or maybe tan skin and dark curly hair. She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. After tucking Amber into bed and kissing her goodnight, she turned off the light and closed the bedroom door. As soon as the door closed, Callen pinned her to the wall and whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"Alone at last…"


	7. The Morning After

_As soon as the door closed, Callen pinned her to the wall and whispered in her ear, making her shiver._

"_Alone at last…"_

Running his hands through her hair, Callen kissed her with hungry desperation. They had been waiting for this moment for too long. Denial, personal problems, and interruptions had kept them apart, but all of that fell away the moment he kissed her. As he ran his hands down her arms and around her waist, Kensi let out a soft moan.

"Shhh…" Callen whispered, before taking her by the hand and leading her down the hall into her bedroom. Once they were inside and the door was closed, Kensi collapsed on the bed with Callen on top of her, running her hands over his hard stomach while they kissed. He pushed her back, running his fingers through her hair as he trailed a line of hot kisses down her neck. She had never imagined it would be this amazing.

In one fluid motion, he pulled her white t-shirt over her head, marveling at her perfect body, loving the feeling of his hands all over her.

As they removed the rest of their clothes, Kensi thought to herself,

_This is the start of something great._

X

X

He hadn't meant for this to happen.

It had been a great night, that wasn't the problem. It was the next morning, when Kensi would wake up and greet him, and everything would be different. Would she expect a commitment? A relationship? It had only been one night, and he was most definitely not looking for a commitment. G. Callen did not do commitments. One night stands, yes. Friends with benefits, yes. But no relationships. Those were out of the question.

X

X

When Kensi woke from her peaceful slumber, she was immediately greeted by the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. She smiled when she felt the soft sheets on her naked body, a clear reminder of the previous night. Callen had showed so much admiration and respect for her body, it was one of the best experiences of her life. Far from most of the guys she had been with. Kensi smiled once again, aware that it would be pretty hard to take that smile off her face the entire day. Everything changed, however, when she rolled over, expecting to find Callen in bed next to her, or at least somewhere in the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Callen not being in the bedroom bothered her more than it should have. Maybe she had had high expectations, but would it be too much to ask to wake up with him by her side after their first night together?

Suddenly, all the worries and fears that had been erased the night before crashing down upon her once again. He had left. While she knew that the chances were that he hadn't even left the house but it was as bad as if he had. She was the first one to admit her abandonment issues and waking up alone after the most meaningful experience of the past couple of years was not good for her in any way.

She tried to convince herself that he had just went to check on the girls, or that maybe he had went to prepare breakfast, but there was still that little voice inside her head that kept on telling her that he was no different from all the other men that had walked in and out of her life, and that he would leave her just like all the ones before.

A single tear made its way down her cheek, this time it was different and she knew it. She had never cared about this. In fact, she had stopped caring a long time ago, but this time her brain was telling her that things were not the same. This time, she actually cared. She wanted him to stay. She _needed_ him to stay. This time, she wanted to wake up next to the man that she had shared the bed with the night before. This time, she wanted him.

It looked like fate had other plans for her.

Her father had once told her that she should never be afraid to get hurt because eventually, after so much pain, there would be no more pain for her, and she would finally be happy. Kensi knew that she was getting a bit old to believe in such things, but every time she got hurt, she hoped that it would be the last time, that she would be happy from then on.

She was never right.

X

X

At 11 o'clock, Amber and Renee were all packed up and ready to go. Callen and Kensi were sad to see them go; it had been a lot of fun to get away from work for the weekend to just have fun with the kids. Callen hadn't mentioned a word about the night before and Kensi decided to stay silent about it too.

10 minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Casey knew what had transpired as soon as she saw her sister.

"Hey honey, can you get the kids settled in the car while I talk to Kensi?" she asked her husband.

As soon as the sisters were alone in the kitchen, Casey started talking.

"You did it, didn't you?" she asked, a huge smile on her face, "You hooked up with the hottie?"

Having never been able to lie to her sister, Kensi decided the truth was best in this situation.

"It's not that big of a deal" she said simply

"Of course it's a big deal! He's not one of the losers you normally go for. And though I'm kinda weirded out that you decided that the night my kids were staying in your house is when you'd seal the deal with Callen, it's better than nothing!"

"Excuse me, losers?" Kensi asked in disbelief.

"Oh come on, you and I both know that you deserve a lot better than those guys that were nothing but one-night stands to you. Now, I don't know a thing about Callen but I'm sure that he is a good guy, otherwise you wouldn't have trusted him to stay here with you and the girls." her sister explained.

Kensi was about to answer but Callen and Casey's husband walked in the kitchen, both smiling and obviously talking about basketball. Casey's husband kissed his wife's head and smiled at Kensi.

"Are you girls done chatting? We need to get going now…The girls are in the car and they're gonna start getting impatient." Casey nodded and kissed Kensi's cheek, whispering so that only they could hear.

"This talk is far from over…"

Kensi sighed and led them to the door, followed by Callen.

Kensi didn't want them to leave. Once she was alone with Callen, one of two things could happen. Either they would talk, or they would end up back in bed without any talk at all. Though the second option had the potential to be good in the here and now, they needed to talk if they wanted this to work out.

God, she hated meaningful conversations.

Once Callen and Kensi had said their goodbyes, and waved until the car had turned the corner, they stepped back inside. Callen closed the door behind them. Kensi sighed and sat down against the wall. Callen frowned, sitting down next to her. He could sense that she had something she wanted to share with him. Kensi averted her eyes, afraid he might mesmerize her before she had the chance to speak.

"We need to talk…"

**Like it? Hate it? Don't worry, I'm a fan of happy endings, though we might not get there for a while ****. This was also a pretty quick update, and there will be another one posted soon! Interesting things are coming….**

**Thanks to Sarah (xana4) for co-writing this with me. She really does a great job **


	8. Commitment Issues

**To all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day. Somehow I (Alexis) got roped into cooking for 25 people. Not good.**

**But here is the next installment! I hope you like it and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 8

_Once Callen and Kensi had said their goodbyes, and waved until the car had turned the corner, they stepped back inside. Callen closed the door behind them. Kensi sighed and sat down against the wall. Callen frowned, sitting down next to her. He could sense that she had something she wanted to share with him. Kensi averted her eyes, afraid he might mesmerize her before she had the chance to speak._

_"We need to talk…"_

Callen nodded, trying to establish eye contact with the beautiful brunette in front of him. She avoided it at all costs, trying to signal that the situation was bothering her. He motioned for her to start talking, but she just sighed.

"We need to talk about what happened last night" she started.

He knew it. He knew she would bring it up. They were going to have to start talking.

"What is there to talk about?" he responded.

Kensi still wouldn't look at him, which was bothering him more than he would admit. Losing one of his closest friends was one of the few things that G. Callen could not handle. She understood him better than anyone else, he had to make sure that they would be okay.

"How did this happen?" Kensi asked.

Callen let out a soft laugh despite the situation they were in. If at this age she still didn't know what had transpired between them, he was not going to be the one to explain it.

"Well you were there, I'm pretty sure you know exactly how it happened." He said, attempting to diffuse some of the tension between them.

Her expression didn't change.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. What do we do now?"

He couldn't read her expression, and it was not the first time. She was good at hiding her emotions, keeping her walls up. But he had never seen her do that with him. Now it was him that she was trying to keep out, and that realization hurt him more than he could ever imagine. Many times before he had tried to explain to her that her walls kept the love and happiness as well as all the hurt away. As much as he hated to see her push him away, he had to be honest with her. He had made a promise to himself that he would never lie to her, or any of his teammates, and he wasn't about to break it.

"Kensi, last night was amazing and all but…I don't want a relationship. I'm not the kind of guy who does that. I don't even know how to go about being someone's boyfriend. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise, but I'm not into that kind of thing."

Throughout his speech, her face remained blank.

"So we just move on as if nothing happened?"

Callen nodded, but a small part of him was screaming to suggest something else.

"If that's what you want." he said simply.

"Well you don't want a relationship, so that doesn't really leave me with any other options."

"I said that I didn't want a relationship but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you anymore."

Kensi looked confused for a moment but her mask was back into place in no time.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We're two friends who happen to find eachother attractive…Who says that we can't have sex once in a while?"

Her eyes seemed empty.

"I'm not your sex toy…"

And with that, the younger agent got up and left, leaving Callen sitting on the floor, having just lost one of his closest friends.

X

X

X

Callen was sitting on the couch, watching TV. More accurately, the TV was on, but Callen had no idea what was showing. His mind was far away from Kensi's living room.

Kensi had left a few minutes before, to get groceries. They had shared a few words before she left, in which she told him that she did not want him to leave. He was welcome to stay with her for as long as he wanted, and she actually felt better when he was around. He was surprised that she had admitted that. Then again, he had been the one to tell her that he didn't want a relationship, for all he knew she did want one.

One thing Callen was sure of- he could not lose Kensi.

Two hours later, Kensi reentered the house. Callen immediately got up to help her with the shopping bags, noticing that her time away from the house seemed to have done her good. She was a lot calmer and was hopefully in a better mood. She offered him a small smile when she passed him, walking into the kitchen and setting her bags down on the table.

She started to take the groceries out of the bags and put them into their places around the kitchen. Callen was honestly surprised when she spoke.

"I don't want things to change between us."

Callen opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't give him the chance.

"I know that what happened last night was huge and has the potential to change everything, but I can't lose you as a friend. Not to mention that if things get awkward then we won't be able to work so well together. I know that we can make things right, everything can go back to the way it was. I know you don't want a relationship, but I can't let this ruin everything."

Kensi finally stopped to take a breath.

Turning back to face him, Kensi jumped in surprise. Callen was so close that she could easily touch her forehead to his. How had he managed to sneak up on her without her noticing? It didn't really matter right now. He was standing close, too close. She could feel him trying to read her, staring deep into her eyes. Though she would never admit it, when he looked at her like that she felt naked, yet unashamed. When he spoke, she jumped in surprise.

"You said that I didn't want a relationship!"

Kensi tried hard not to look at him but Callen wouldn't allow her to look away. He gently grabbed her chin and held her head in place, giving her no other option but stare right back at him.

"Look at me. It makes me nervous when you don't."

"What do you want to talk about?" she finally replied.

"I want to talk about the huge pink elephant that is standing in the middle of the room. You said that I didn't want a relationship!"

"Is it a lie?" she asked defiantly.

"No, but I've noticed that you've never mentioned what you want."

Kensi tried to look away again but his hand on her chin wouldn't allow her to move.

"I need you to look at me, Kenz! Stop trying to look away!"

She snapped. He had pushed through her patience, and she didn't know how much longer she could stay there without breaking down. Pushing him away, the words she had been trying to keep unsaid spilled out.

"Does it even matter what I think? What will change if I tell you that I want a relationship? It won't matter because you don't want one. I'm sorry to inform you, Callen but I'm not crazy enough to have a relationship with myself. The only one you care about is yourself and that is usually fine by me but do _not_ ask me stupid questions like that. I'm not a sex toy, for anyone. I don't want to be just your way to relief the stress…I meant what I said a few hours ago. I want you to stay here but please do not ask me that again. Don't ever dare to ask me what I want again when you don't give a crap about it."

With that, she stormed off to her bedroom, leaving him in the kitchen thinking about how stupid he was. This had never been his intention. He had never meant to hurt her.

What the hell was he supposed to do?


	9. What are friends for?

A week had slowly passed.

Nothing had changed between Callen and Kensi. Callen was still staying at Kensi's house. But they were barely speaking. Meanwhile, Callen was looking for a place of his own. He didn't want to intrude at Kensi's house any longer. No matter how many times she told him that she didn't mind, he could feel the awkwardness between them. It hurt like hell when she barely acknowledged his presence at her house, all because of his stupidity.

Everyone at work had noticed the tension between the two agents.

Knowing the two of them best, Sam had been the first one to notice. He had noticed the subtle changes, changes that were easily unrecognizable to the untrained eye, but were clear in the mind of a federal agent. Something was indeed wrong between his friends. It had been a week since Callen had last brought Kensi one of those chocolate covered donuts that she loved so much. Kensi was no longer bringing Callen his usual cup of afternoon coffee. Subtle changes such as these made an immense impact on Sam.

He wanted things to go back to the way they were.

Nate, being a trained psychologist, had caught on soon after Sam. Eye contact between the two agents in question was almost non-existent; once, Callen accidently brushed his hand against Kensi, and she had pulled away as though she had been burned. As they were both 'professional liars', they were good at covering it up, but something was definitely going on between the two.

What could have happened to change everything in an instant?

Hetty, being as perceptive as she was, had also noticed. However, she knew that Callen and Kensi's relationship was strong and they were both capable of solving their problems without the interference of their friends and coworkers. One small fight would not end a friendship as strong as theirs.

She had faith in her agents.

Unsurprisingly to everyone, Eric had been the last to notice the recent changes. He was trapped in his own little world, making it harder for him to figure things out. With the help of Nate's strong hints, he had eventually caught on and a plan immediately began to form in his head. Yes, they were both stubborn but this had to work because they were role models, a strong team, and he could not sit back and let them stay mad at each other.

This had better work, because no one else knew what to do.

"Hey Kensi!"

The voice shook her from her thoughts, and she turned towards the sound.

"Do you want to come out with the team tonight?" Eric asked, hopeful.

Although she knew he was just trying to make her feel better, she wasn't sure if there was anything that he could do to improve her mood at this point. The only person that she wanted cheering up from right now was Callen, and it didn't look like he had any such plans for the near future. Was he mad at her for not giving in to his request? Was that why he hadn't been talking to her for the past week? She had every right to say no, she was strong, not a toy to be played with and tossed out as soon as he found something better.

"What?" she replied, focusing her attention back on Eric.

"Well, we're going out tonight. You haven't seemed like yourself lately, so we thought you might like to come out for a drink."

"Who's going?" she asked, trying to find out if Callen was going to be there without making it even more obvious that they were having problems.

"Well if you say yes it'll be me, you, Nate, and Nell."

Kensi hesitated but a night away from the house would probably be good for her so she finally replied. "I'd love to"

X

X

X

"G"

The tone in Sam's voice only meant one thing, he meant business.

"Yeah?" Callen asked knowing that his partner was up to no good but without caring that much anyway.

"We're going to the bar tonight." It was not a request nor a question. It was and order, and the ex-SEAL wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"We?" Callen asked.

"You and I" Sam clarified.

"Sam, I really don't feel like-" he started to protest but he knew that it wouldn't matter because Sam was on the top three of the bossiest people he knew. To be fair, he was the third bossiest person he knew but that was still something. Hetty occupied the second place on the list but she was no match for Kensi. Anyone who dared to say otherwise had never seen Kensi Blye completely pissed off and shouting orders back and forth like he had.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to, I said we're going. You've been acting strange all week. You and Kensi aren't acknowledging each other's presence, you won't tell me what's going on, and you need a night out. Now get your stuff, we're going."

Callen realized that maybe one night away from Kensi would be good for both of them.

X

X

X

At the bar, Nate, Eric, Kensi, and Nell were sitting at a booth, happily sipping their beers and talking.

They were all trying to bring the smile back onto Kensi's face but it was easier said than done. She couldn't take her mind away from Callen, he had been occupying her thoughts for a week. She had trusted him with not only her life, but her heart, and now she could see how foolish she had been. Just more reinforcement for her philosophy that you couldn't trust your heart or feelings to another person. Had she really been stupid enough to think that G. Callen would open up to her so easily? Did she really think that she had meant something to him? It seemed that the answer to both those questions was 'yes', as much as it hurt her to admit it.

Just then, Sam and Callen walked in and headed for the bar to get some drinks. Kensi spotted them right away.

"Is that Sam and Callen?" Kensi asked, shocked.

Nate looked away, knowing that if Kensi realized that he was involved in Eric's plans, she would not be happy. Nell quickly followed, though she hadn't been on the team long, she knew that Kensi was not big on other people getting involved in her personal life. Nate had explained that the only person capable of fully understanding Kensi was Callen.

"Um, uh, yeah, so it is." Eric replied, knowing his feigned innocence was unbelievable.

"You do realize that you're like the worst liar on the planet, right?" Kensi asked, "You set this up, didn't you?"

She didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, she was happy that she had friends that cared this much but on the other hand she didn't enjoy when people try to solve her problems behind her back, setting her up without her knowledge.

"Kensi, repressing your emotions can only lead to-"

She was in no mood for one Nate's long and boring speeches about her emotions and she was quick to let him know.

"Shut it, Nate." Kensi snapped, "I'm getting out of here."

She made a move to get up but Nell put a hand on her arm, making her stop.

"Please stay." Nell asked, "We were having fun."

Nell's words did nothing to calm her down but it didn't matter, because by the time that she noticed that Sam and Callen were right by their table, it was already too late to get out. Sam sandwiched her between him and Nell to stop her from even trying to move while Callen just sat next to Eric, on the other side.

"I need something stronger!" she muttered under her breath before ordering another drink.

Callen focused on his beer but made the mistake of looking up for a few seconds. His eyes connected with Kensi's and as he saw the sadness in them, he made the decision to make things right by the end of the night. He didn't care if he had to tie her down to get her to listen to him. They would talk.


	10. Another Morning After

Chapter 10

This had not been part of the plan.

He had not expected for their team night out to end this way. Callen sighed and stared at the ceiling, not yet ready to fall asleep.

It had been simple enough in the beginning. Take Kensi home after they all had drinks at the bar and talk with her about everything that had taken place within the past week. He should have known better. Plans don't always work out the way we want or expect them to.

Now that he thought about it, he should have seen it coming. The hints had been there.

_Kensi ordered the 6__th__ drink of the night, but at least it looked like she was having fun. Everyone was talking and having a good time, not thinking about the events of the day or what they might face later. Suddenly, she had stood up, pushing Sam away and stretching her arms toward Callen. He understood immediately that she wanted to dance. She was drunk, and he knew that he should deny her request. She, however, was willing to allow him to touch her for the first time in over a week and that was too tempting to resist. He ignored the knowing smiles on his friend's and coworker's faces while her took her hand and led her to the dance floor, pulling her close while they danced._

Yes, that had been the first clue that his plan wouldn't work. His second clue should have been her mischievous smile while he drove them home. Yet, he had ignored that too.

Now, looking at the girl that was lying next to him on the bed with her head resting comfortably on his chest, he realized that maybe he shouldn't have ignored those clues all along.

X

X

X

When she woke, Kensi noticed that she was in her bed, but that the only clothes she was wearing were her underwear. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember what had happened the night before. The last thing she could remember was dragging Callen on to the dance floor in a drunken haze. The rest of the night was a blur.

Getting up, she pulled on a T-shirt and some shorts before making her way to the kitchen, desperate for a cup of coffee that would hopefully calm her head and stomach.

When she entered the kitchen, she noticed with some surprise that Callen was sitting in a chair next to the kitchen table with a mug in front of him and a newspaper in front of his face.

"Good morning" she greeted in a whisper, anything louder than that hurt her head. Callen lowered his newspaper and smiled, handing her a cup of coffee that he had arranged for her when he heard her moving around in the bedroom. She muttered a weak "thank you" and sat down on the countertop, sipping the coffee that she hoped would make quick work of her headache.

After Callen had finished the last of his coffee, he stood up and walked quietly over to the kitchen sink to wash it out. Now that he was standing right next to her, Kensi couldn't help but look over at him. As soon as she did, she regretted it. Memories from the night before flooded in, the feeling of his lips on hers while he backed her into a wall, his hands underneath her shirt and her hands underneath his, touching his well-defined muscles. Horrified at what she had done after a few too many drinks, Kensi shook her head to clear it.

Callen was now staring at her, looking slightly worried.

"What happened last night?" she finally brought herself to ask.

Callen sighed and turned to fully face her.

"I knew you wouldn't remember, not after the amount of alcohol you drank yesterday."

"Then why don't you tell me what happened? The last thing I can remember is dragging you to dance with me. After that it's just bits and pieces. What happened?"

"We danced for a while, and then I drove us both back here. As soon as we walked through the door you-" he paused for a moment, "you kissed me. I know I should have stopped you because you were so drunk and had no idea what you were doing, but I couldn't resist. Things got a little heated after that."

"And then we had sex again!" It wasn't meant as a question but Callen was quick to give her an answer.

"No, we didn't. Kensi, I would never take advantage of you. You were drunk. I just took you to your bedroom and made you lay down on the bed. Then, you wouldn't allow me to leave so I stayed there with you. That's all!"

"Then why did I wake up in my underwear?" she countered.

"Because you said that it was too hot in the room so you took your clothes off. And for the record, I had to cover you with a blanket in the middle of the night because you were freezing."

She paused for a few moments, deciding whether she was going to believe him or not. Finally, she made up her mind that he wouldn't lie to her about something like that.

"Thanks…that was sweet."

Callen stepped closer to her, standing between her legs. Kensi did not offer any resistance, willingly allowing him to do so.

"Kensi, I don't want things to change between us. You are the only person in this world who understands me and I can't lose that. I need you in my life. I still don't want a relationship but I need to make things right between us."

Kensi stared at him for a few seconds in silence. She needed him, but she couldn't pretend anymore that she only saw him as a friend. Maybe she would regret her decision, but if this was the only way she could have him she would go with it, at least for now.

And she needed him.

Callen touched her bare knee, bringing her back to reality, staring into her eyes.

"Say something, Kenz!" and she said the words that he wasn't expecting to hear but that he welcomed anyway.

"Kiss me!"


	11. Conversations

Staring up at the ceiling, Kensi wondered what she had gotten herself into.

Her blond-haired, blue-eyed, co-worker/best-friend/friend-with-benefits was laying on the bed next to her, fast asleep.

She had done it again, she had slept with him.

Even though he didn't want a relationship and she did.

Even though he couldn't commit, and for the first time in a long time, she could.

Even though every cell in her body was telling her that this was a terrible idea, that entering a casual relationship with this man was destined to end badly.

And yet, she had agreed, because being without him was much harder than being in a commitment free relationship with him. At least this way, there would be no more awkwardness, no more avoiding each other. At least not until it all went bad.

She was trying not to think about that day.

She decided to get up and have some lunch. Callen was still asleep, as far as she could tell.

He was probably tired from having been up half the night at the bar and then taking care of her when she was passed out drunk. In hindsight, getting drunk and ending up in bed with Callen was probably not the smartest move that she had ever made.

But the real question was, what was she going to do now?

She knew the answer to that one, even though she didn't want to admit it just yet.

She wasn't going to deny it, being with Callen and knowing that he wasn't interested in being in a committed relationship was hard, but being without him was harder. If he wanted a no-strings-attached arrangement, then she would give it a try, because she couldn't bear the thought of continuing with the awkward politeness that had become their lives during the past few weeks.

Walking into the kitchen, Kensi decided to prepare some lunch. She noticed that it was almost four in the afternoon, but she was hungry and needed to eat. She settled for a sandwich, mainly because she was not in the mood to cook anything more elaborate. She walked into the living room with her food on a plate and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV with the hope to feel less alone while she ate.

Her solitary eating didn't last very long, Callen joined her just a few minutes later. She first heard him enter the kitchen, probably preparing himself something to eat just as she had. After that, he entered the living room and sat down on the couch next to her, but a few feet away; he was also holding a plate on which sat a sandwich.

They ate in silence. Kensi had not yet thought of what she was going to say to him and Callen was not about to speak first. This situation wasn't going to be easy for either of them.

Callen knew how important she was. She was the one who always knew what to do, always knew exactly what to say to him. She gave him space when she knew he needed it and offered to keep him company when she knew he did not want to be alone. She didn't try to give him advice or moral lessons, unlike a lot of other people, because she understood that his problems were the last thing that he would want to talk about. She was one of his best friends (though he only had one other), and he could not afford to lose her. But he was hurting her, he could see that. So Callen did not know what to say.

He knew her like no one else did. He knew when to make her talk about what was bothering her and when not to push the subject. Sometimes she just wanted to be quiet. He knew when she needed to hear that everything was going to be okay and when she just needed everyone to be quiet. He knew when she needed him by her side and when she just needed to be left alone. He was the only one who understood her abandonment issues and that respected her decisions without judging her. Kensi knew that the path they were on would lead to trouble. They had seen how much damage had been done in just a few weeks of their casual relationship, hadn't they?

Kensi was the first one to speak, only because she had trouble staying quiet for long periods of time, especially when things got awkward. And because she knew that he could basically stay silent indefinitely.

"I'm sorry" she said, barely more than a whisper.

Callen looked at her and frowned.

"You're sorry for what, exactly?"

He would never admit that he was scared to hear her answer. He did not know if he would be able to handle listening to her tell him that what they had just done was a mistake and could never happen again. Although, maybe it would be the best thing for them; but being with Kensi was all he wanted. He needed her, especially now.

"For what I said to you the other day, and for the way I've been acting recently. I was an idiot, and you didn't deserve the way I've been treating you recently. I'm sorry. That's what I'm sorry for."

Callen smiled, shaking his head.

"You don't need to be sorry Kenz. Even though it kills me when you ignore me, when I can't talk to you, I understand why you did it. I can't lose you, Kensi, and I don't want you to pull away."

The sincerity in his voice made her melt. How did he do this to her? She fought the urge to jump into his arms and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.

"I'll always be here for you." She said.

Callen grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"What are we going to do then?" he asked.

Kensi sighed and looked away. Callen moved so they were facing each other. He wasn't going to give up. She was going to talk to him, no matter how long it took.

"I guess…I guess that it's okay for us to keep our relationship 'casual'." She said quietly.

"Are you sure about this?" Callen asked her, concern lacing his voice.

"I wouldn't suggest it if I weren't."

This time, some of the fire in her personality was evident in her tone.

He knew that she wasn't really okay with it. He was basically taking advantage of how she felt about him.

Not that he didn't feel the exact same way.


	12. Unexpected Suprise

Kensi woke up from her deep slumber and looked around the room; the bedroom was still dark, but the spot next to her on the bed was empty. This felt familiar already.

Callen always woke up before she did, she had gotten used to that awhile ago. However, he always closed the blinds so that she could sleep without the sun waking her. She stretched and got out of bed, then made her way into the kitchen, wearing nothing but Callen's t-shirt. She knew she would find him there.

He was looking through the fridge, probably looking for the ingredients to make breakfast for the two of them. Kensi walked up to him, slowly and silently, trying not to alert him to her presence. Before she could get close enough to touch him, however, his voice stopped her.

"You really think you can sneak up on me?"

He turned around with a smile on his face, which only got bigger when he saw her adorable pout, something completely unusual for her. She was more of the punch-your-way-through kind of girl.

"Just because of that I'm going to have a nice warm shower and you're not allowed to wash my back!" Kensi said in the most childish voice that she could muster.

With that she turned around and started to walk to the bathroom; before she could more than a few steps, two strong arms wrapped around her waist.

Callen hugged her from behind and kissed her head but she didn't give in, not even when his soft whisper sent shivers down her spine and created goose bumps all over her body.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to join you there?" he asked innocently.

Kensi shook her head- she wasn't sure what her voice would sound like at the moment. Callen kissed her neck before turning her around to face him.

She hadn't had time to react, but she wouldn't have stopped him anyway. He felt her trying to resist, trying not to give it, but he knew exactly which buttons to press. As soon as his hands started to stroke her things and his lips started to explore her mouth, she began to go weak in his arms.

When air became an issue they were forced to pull back. Kensi pushed him away with a smile on her face and Callen knew that he had just won that battle. She started to walk to the bathroom with a smile on her face and Callen went after her, grabbing her and taking her to the shower in his arms. The way she laughed was a proof that she didn't mind it.

X

X

She sat at her desk, just staring at the paperwork in front of her. She didn't want to do it- it was boring. However, she also didn't want to spend the entire day working on it, so she figured that it would probably be best to start now, and hopefully finish in time to make dinner before Callen came over.

Callen and Sam were at the gym, working out. She wanted to join them but she knew that that would only further delay her already behind paperwork. It was depressing to find out that not even Callen was late with its delivery this time.

She finally began to fill out all the blank spaces on the page, adding notes where needed. But, of course, another distraction made its way over to her desk.

Nell walked towards her, looking anxious.

Nell looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to them before she spoke, in a whisper.

"I'm sorry to bother you but I have an emergency and I don't know who else to ask for this."

Kensi looked at her a bit worried now.

"Is everything okay? You're worrying me…"

Nell spoke in a whisper once again after making sure that there was no one around to listen to their conversation.

"Do you have any tampons? I thought I had some in my purse but it looks like I don't and this is an emergency…"

Kensi smiled at the younger woman to calm her nerves and reached for her purse to give her what she needed. She frowned when she saw the full box of tampons, remembering how long ago she had bought them, but handed them to Nell anyway.

She smiled and mouthed a 'thank you' before walking to the bathroom, leaving Kensi alone with her own thoughts. Could it be?

Kensi grabbed the nearest calendar and started to do the math. She had first slept with Callen exactly 7 weeks before. She had last had her period 2 weeks before that.

Kensi dropped the calendar in shock. She was more than a month late. How could this be? She was on the pill…Then she remembered what her doctor had told her the last time she had gotten herself in a serious fight. Some antibiotics made the birth control pill stop its effect. At the time it hadn't seemed important to her and by the time that she had started to sleep with Callen that had been the last thing on her mind.

The realization hit her full force then. She was pregnant.

She was pregnant with Callen's baby.

She was pregnant with Callen's baby when he didn't even want a relationship.

She was pregnant, right?


	13. The Tests

**We're back! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I hope you all like it though!**

Then again, maybe not. She could just be late because of stress, right? That happened. And she sure had a lot of stress in her life at the moment what with her complicated relationship with Callen and the ever-stressful job as an NCIS agent.

But there was only one way to find out what was really going on.

X

X

X

She wandered the aisles at the local drugstore aimlessly, avoiding the one aisle she _really_ needed to go to. It's not like she would run into anyone she knew, so why was she so nervous? Maybe it was just the thought of someone else knowing her secret, even if it was just a random stranger who would never see her again.

When she finally got the nerve to go grab a pregnancy test, she was faced with another dilemma. There were at least 15 different kinds. Why were there so many different kinds anyway? They all did the same thing, did it really matter if it was digital or had plus signs or different kinds or if it could tell you earlier than the others?

When she heard footsteps coming towards her, she grabbed 3 different boxes and headed to checkout as quickly as she could without attracting too much suspicion. When she got up to the front of the line though, the cashier was a nice-looking older woman who smiled when she saw Kensi's purchases.

"It's so exciting, isn't it?" she asked.

"Um, yeah."

With one last smile, the cashier put all 3 boxes into a plastic bag, and Kensi was on her way.

This was not exciting. Not at all. This was _not_ how it was supposed to happen. Although Kensi never really planned to be buying pregnancy tests at all, if she was ever going to, she had expected it to be after she found the perfect guy (if there even was such a thing), and maybe gotten married. Instead, she had a friends-with-benefits situation with an emotionally distant co-worker who would probably run away as fast as he could as soon as he found out about the current situation.

Yeah, this was definitely not how anyone envisioned it.

_You are not pregnant. You are not pregnant._

Maybe if she repeated it enough times, she could convince herself. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew. This was more than just stress.

She should have seen the signs earlier, but she had gotten so caught up in trying to figure out where she and Callen stood. Now that she thought about it, her boobs were sore, and she was much more tired than she normally was. Although, the tiredness could be explained by a few too many late nights with a certain someone.

The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. So many questions arose in her mind. What would she do about work? What would Callen think? If he didn't want the baby, would she still keep it? Did _she_ even want a baby? Would Callen leave her? Would she leave Callen? How would she tell Hetty? What the hell would she do if she were left on her own to care for a child?

She had been so caught up in her own thoughts, that she hadn't realized she had arrived at her car, and was now just standing there.

Time to go home, and find out if she was going to have to answer those questions.

X

X

X

By the time she got home, Callen's car was parked outside. She sighed, it was times like these when she wished he didn't have a key. Sure, it was nice coming home to find him with dinner ready, but she wasn't ready to tell him this. Hell, she wasn't even ready to admit it to herself.

She stood outside for a few more moments, breathing slowly and trying to calm down and appear less stressed than she actually was. She needed to pretend like everything was ok in front of Callen. The last thing she wanted was to blurt out her secret as soon as she got nervous. Oh, who was she kidding? Callen knew her better than anyone else. He would be able to tell that something was wrong the minute she walked through the door.

Deciding that she needed to go inside, whether she was ready or not, Kensi locked the car and walked toward the house. She left the tests in the car, figuring that it was easier than trying to hide them from Callen once she got inside. Like that would ever work.

As soon as she opened the door, Callen rushed over, looking worried.

"Where have you been? You left the OPS center over two hours ago…"

Kensi forced a small smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking to the kitchen to see what smelled so heavenly. Callen followed her, desperate for some answers. She could tell he wanted to know the details about the past two hours so she tried to come up with an excuse that would sound somewhat believable.

"I had to go buy tampons."

It wasn't exactly her best lie ever, but she was stressed, so maybe her inability to come up with a decent lie was justified. Callen, on the other hand, didn't seem convinced. He frowned.

"And you couldn't find one single open store in LA at 6 p.m.?"

Kensi turned to the stove to try to pretend like she was seeing what he was cooking. Damn it, she needed to come up with something and fast.

"Okay, you want the truth?"

Callen nodded and she sighed before continuing.

"Nell was having some issues and she asked me if we could talk for a bit. I went for coffee with her. I'm sorry if that worried you but I didn't even think you'd be home this early…"

Callen seemed satisfied enough with her answer this time. He'd better not bring this up in front of Nell, she thought.

He walked to her and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Just don't ever try to lie or keep anything from me again, okay? You know you can tell me anything."

Kensi nodded with a small smile on her face and Callen went back to cooking. Yes, she felt guilty for lying to him like this but there was nothing else to do for now. She needed to be sure she was pregnant before actually breaking the news to him. This was going to be a long night.

**Sorry everyone, you're not getting an answer just yet! It's in the next chapter though, I promise, and I'll have that one up soon!**


	14. Facing the Truth

**We're back! I know, I know, it's been a long time since we posted. In my defense, I (Alexis) had a baby during the time we were gone. But now I'm on maternity leave, at least for a couple more weeks, and my daughter is out of school for the summer, so I have plenty of writing time! I do tend to say that a lot though…you never know what's going to come up. But I have another chapter almost finished, and it will be posted by tomorrow at the latest! Thanks for hanging in there throughout the long waits between chapters and sticking with this story! Enjoy!**

She looked down at the object in her hand. Again.

Callen had left for work, and she had decided that this was as good a time as any to find out for sure.

She looked down, one more time, just to be sure.

Yup, there it was, 2 pink lines. No mistaking it, the second line was clearly visible.

She was indeed pregnant.

She couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? Well, she knew _how_ it had happened. They had been reckless and stupid. She had gotten caught up in her emotions, and hadn't thought about the possible consequences of her actions. Now it was too late to go back.

She looked down again. Nothing had changed.

She then turned her attention to the bathroom counter, where 6 similar pregnancy tests were lined up. They all said the same thing.

She couldn't ignore the truth anymore.

She sighed and stood up. It wasn't like the tests had told her something that she hadn't known already. She had been pretty sure of the situation.

The big question was- how was she going to tell Callen that she was pregnant with a kid that he didn't want?

X

X

Sam and Callen walked into the ops center and sat down at their desks. Kensi wasn't there yet, but that was nothing new. They always arrived earlier than she did.

5 minutes later, she walked through the doors. She didn't look like herself. No smile, no "good morning", no jokes. She walked straight to her desk without making eye contact with either of her co-workers, earning her a worried look from both Sam and Callen. She ignored the looks, instead turning to her computer and starting to work.

Callen was the first one to speak, mainly because Sam was a bit scared of her.

"Is everything okay Kenz?" he asked softly.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"You're not acting like yourself. You know you can tell us if anything is wrong, right?"

Kensi sighed and looked at both of them. She faked a smile.

"I know that, but there's nothing to tell. I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night because I had a few things on my mind."

Callen didn't answer; he and Sam shared a glance.

Kensi turned back to her computer screen and went to work.

X

X

They were out on the field when she realized that she wouldn't be able to keep this pregnancy a secret for much longer.

They were investigating the death of a Navy officer when she went to examine the body. Blood had never been a problem for her but her current…situation…made it a little difficult for her to do this part of her job. As soon as she saw the blood pool, her stomach started doing weird flip-flops. She was about to throw up. She needed to get out of there without Sam or Callen noticing that something was wrong. She closed her eyes, trying to get the nausea under control.

Callen looked back from where he was inspecting evidence and saw Kensi with her eyes closed, one hand over her stomach. Within seconds he was next to her, holding onto her arms in case she fell.

When Kensi felt someone's hands on her arms, she opened her eyes to see Callen's worried blue gaze on her.

"Are you feeling okay?"

By then, Sam was next to them too. She could tell that he was almost as worried about her as Callen was.

Kensi tried to give them a smile to ease their worries but she couldn't. She was still feeling extremely sick and she was sure that she was going to throw up soon.

She managed to give them an answer.

"It was the blood."

Callen frowned and looked at Sam before turning back to her.

"Since when?You've never had a problem with blood before!"

"Then maybe it was something that I ate!"

Another wave of nausea came at full force, and she closed her eyes once again. Callen led her to a nearby bench and sat with her in his arms, stroking her hair and back to calm her down. Sam returned a minute later with a bottle of water, which he handed to Callen.

"Here, try to drink this. It'll make you feel better." Callen said as he handed her the water bottle.

Kensi shook her head without opening her eyes. If she tried to drink that, she was going to throw up, she was sure of it. Callen sighed at her refusal and wet his hand with the water instead, placing it on Kensi's forehead. She took a couple deep breaths and managed to stay under control. A couple seconds later, she opened her eyes and gave Callen a small smile. He breathed in relief, and so did Sam.

Sam went to talk with the cops and Callen turned to a much better Kensi.

"I'm going to call Hetty and send you back to the office. You're obviously sick so I can't keep you around right now. Stay here while I talk to her, okay?"

Kensi did so and sighed. She was still feeling sick, although it was much better now. This wasn't going to be a secret much longer, she needed to tell Callen what was going on with her.

X

X

Shortly after, she found herself sitting in Hetty's office, trying not to give away her mess of emotions to the woman sitting across from her.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Hetty asked.

Kensi tried not to make eye contact.

Was it worth trying to hide it from Hetty any longer? She probably already knew what was going on, anyway. She had been trying to keep it a secret in the vain attempt that the entire situation would disappear, that she would wake up from this bad dream and everything would be back to normal. Of course, she knew that this was real, and that it wasn't going to go away, and that she would have to face it eventually. But that could wait until tomorrow, couldn't it? Or next week maybe?

"Hetty…I…I…I'm…pregnant." Her voice got smaller and smaller, until the last word was barely a whisper.

"I had my suspicions." Hetty replied

Of course she knew. What _didn't_ Hetty know?

"I assume that you want to keep the child, am I right?"

She had given it a lot of thought. Anyone who had been in her situation was right when they said that you couldn't know how you would feel or what you would do until you were actually faced with the choice. But yes, she wanted to keep it, even if Callen didn't want it. It was a piece of her, after all, her baby.

She nodded, and Hetty smiled.

"We're going to have to implement some new rules from now on. You can't go anywhere on the job without Callen or Sam, and you have to tell them what's goingo n so that they can keep a closer eye on you. You can't take any unnecessary risks, for yourself or the baby. More than one life is at stake now."

Kensi sighed. She hadn't told Hetty who the father was.

"Hetty, I can't tell them what's going on."

"Miss Blye, sooner or later they will find out, and it's better that you tell them now. Waiting until the truth comes out when you continue to get sick, or when your stomach starts to grow is just not a good idea. Callen and Sam will figure it out soon enough anyway, they are your partners after all."

"Hetty, it's complicated. I can't tell Callen, not yet anyway, he's the father! What if he reacts badly?

Hetty smiled. Of course, she had already known that.

"I know that Miss Blye. I might be old but I'm certainly not stupid. As soon as you told me that you were pregnant I put the pieces together and figured that out on my own. If you don't want to, we can keep that part a secret but they both must know that you're pregnant. I want them to be more careful with you."

Kensi didn't see exactly how that was going to work. Either she told Callen he was the father, and dealt with his reaction, or she told Callen he _wasn't_ the father, and dealt with him feeling betrayed.

Kensi sighed and touched her still flat stomach. She wasn't showing yet, not even close. Hetty was right though, she had to tell them, sooner rather than later.

X

X

As soon as Callen and Sam entered the room where Nate and Kensi were already sitting, they knew something was wrong. Hetty had called them all into Nate's office, and she only ever did that when they needed to talk about something serious. It was quiet up there, and no one would disturb them.

Hetty and Eric followed them in, and shut the door behind them. Hetty didn't waste any time before getting down to business.

"From now on, there are some new rules. Kensi will be with either Sam or Callen at all times in the field. She will not be going anywhere alone when she is on the job and she will avoid dangerous situations. She will not be participating in any undercover operations, either."

Callen and Sam both frowned.

"What's going on?" Callen asked, "Is this because of what happened this morning at the crime scene? Are you sick or something?"

Kensi could tell that they were all concerned, and she didn't want them worrying about her any more than they had to.

"I'm not sick. Well, not really. I'm pregnant."

They were all shocked, to say the least. Hetty already knew, Nate was surprised, but interested at the same time, he probably thought it was a good situation in which to study her. Eric looked shocked, and kind of scared too. Sam was looking around the room, trying to figure out what everyone was thinking. Callen just stared at her. He knew. And now she had to face the real problem.

"I'm only a few weeks along, and please don't interrogate me about who the father is, it's not anyone else's concern. And please, close your mouths, it's rude!"

She looked at Callen and he was staring at her, still clearly shocked. She felt something weird in her stomach. At first, she thought that it was just a normal reaction for seeing Callen but then she felt the already familiar nausea hitting her and rushed to the bathroom.

X

X

She bent over the toilet and felt her stomach emptying everything that she had eaten that day. After a moment, she felt someone pull her hair back, but she was too weak to turn around and see who it was.

After she was done she tried to get up and felt two strong hands helping her up.

"It's mine, isn't it?" he asked.

Kensi turned around and saw Callen looking at her with a look that she couldn't read. It was a mix between pain, happiness, uncertain and many other emotions.

This was so not where she wanted to have this conversation.

Instead of answering, she just nodded, then walked over to the sink to rinse out her mouth. When she finished, he was still staring at her.

He didn't say anything, which annoyed her.

"You don't get to do this to me…you don't get to look at me like that. This is not only my fault, you know? We both know that we should have been more careful but we weren't and now I'll have to live with the consequences. I'm the one carrying a baby inside me, I'm the one throwing up for no reason, I'm the one who's body is changing….you do not get to look at me like that without saying anything. You asked me if the baby is yours and I told you the truth. I'm scared right now…Actually, I take that back! I'm not scared, I'm terrified. I have no idea of what I'm doing and you're just standing here staring at me!"

She was almost in tears by the time that she was done. She knew that those hormones would drive her crazy…

Callen just started at her for a few more seconds before turning his back to her and exiting the room.

Kensi broke down and just cried. Sam came in. Of course, Callen would send in someone else to talk to her.

"It's G's baby, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"Then don't worry. He'll eventually come to his senses and you will see that when he does, he will be there for you every step of the way."

Kensi really hoped that Sam was right about that. She wasn't sure if she could handle this alone.


	15. Protective

**I think this may be the fastest we have ever gotten another chapter written and posted. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and thank you for all the congratulations on the new baby. Without him, I'd still be at work, and unable to get this chapter posted, so you're lucky!**

It had been one month. Exactly one month since the day she found out she was pregnant.

She still had no idea what she was doing.

Callen was still refusing to acknowledge that she was carrying his child, but she wasn't surprised. She had known from the beginning that he didn't want a family. She had been trying to get used to doing it alone. Not that she had really done much of anything in the past month, besides go to the doctor, who confirmed what she had already known. She had also received an ultrasound, and seen her baby for the very first time.

It didn't look like much, yet. Just a smear in the photo, but it was there. It had a tiny heartbeat and everything.

She acted like she didn't care about the way Callen had been acting. Whether she was trying to convince the people around her, or herself, she wasn't sure yet. Most likely, she would be raising this baby on her own, but she was getting through it one day at a time. Her first goal was to get through the first trimester.

That was easier said than done. She was still throwing up at least once a day, her boobs were sore, and she was gaining weight. She was only 8 weeks along, 32 more weeks to go.

32 more weeks of awkwardness; at least after the baby was born she would be taking maternity leave. The less time she had to spend around Callen, the better.

At work, they talked and acted the same as they did before the situation came to light, but they were ignoring the elephant in the room. At home, things were weird too. Callen, however, had made no attempts to move out. He slept in the guest room, and their time at home was spent in awkward silence. Every single moment spent with him was awkward, and it was beginning to get on her nerves. She had been debating telling him to leave, but part of her was holding on to the tiny chance that he would decide he wanted to be there for her and his child.

A very tiny, miniscule chance.

For the moment, they were living day-to-day, ignoring the difficult parts of their lives.

They ignored the fact that the baby inside of her shared his blood, too.

They ignored the fact that once day, he would have to acknowledge that.

They ignored the fact that she wasn't going to be able to hide this for much longer. She was two months pregnant, and although at the moment she only looked a tiny bit bigger that usual, she knew that that was going to change soon enough.

For now, only their team knew. Soon, everyone at work would be speculating about who got Kensi pregnant.

To Kensi's surprise, the team had gotten used to the idea of her being pregnant much faster than she had expected. Every morning, someone would take away her coffee, usually before she even got to take a sip, sometimes as she was pouring it, and they would hand her a cup of tea. At first, this had bothered her, but as the days passed, she began to realize that they were just looking out for her and the baby.

Renko had been brought back to the OSP to help out. She had not yet decided if this was a good or a bad thing. Renko had always acted like a big brother to Kensi, and she wasn't sure how things would end up with him around.

Only Hetty, Sam, and Callen knew that the baby was Callen's. They had kept it a secret from the others, knowing that it would be much easier this way; they wouldn't have to explain why Callen didn't seem to care one bit about her or the baby.

X

X

On this particular morning, Kensi was in an unusually bad mood. She had discovered that her favorite jeans no longer fit her. Although she had known this day would come, she had hoped that it would be a couple more weeks yet.

As she walked into the ops center, she spotted Callen reading his newspaper. He always left the house before she was even awake, minimizing the time that they had to spend together. Sam was probably in the gym working out, because he and Callen were not bickering as usual.

Callen gave her a nod as she walked to get coffee.

As soon as she touched the pot of coffee, she felt someone's hand on her back, warning her to put it down. She could tell it was male, and couldn't help but hope that it was Callen, although he usually left it to someone else to take away her coffee.

She turned around. It was not Callen, it was Renko. He smiled and handed her a cup of tea.

At least If Callen stopped her from drinking coffee, it would mean that he had at least processed and accepted the fact that she was pregnant.

She sighed and took the tea from Renko, then walked back to her desk and sat down. Before she could even start drinking it, however, Eric whistled. Apparently they had a new case.

X

X

She was trying to get him to stop, but Renko was nothing if not persistent. She was stubborn though, and determined to get him to leave her alone before Callen and Sam arrived.

"Just lift your shirt and let me see…How hard can that be?" he pestered her.

"I've told you a thousand times that this is not my blood. Do you think that I'm stupid? This blood is on my shirt because, in case you don't remember, I had to stop the bleeding of that guy before he bled to death. This is not my blood, now leave me alone!"

"Okay, well, if it's not your blood, then let me see. I need to make sure that you are not hurt."

She was really starting to get impatient now.

"Do you think that I'm an idiot? I'm not hurt, Renko!"

"I'm not saying that you're an idiot…I'm saying that you can't think just about yourself any longer. Lift your shirt before I lose my patience, please."

They were interrupted by Callen and Sam entering the boathouse. Of course, they noticed Renko and Kensi's argument right away. Sam ignored them, instead going to interrogate the suspect. Callen, on the other hand, couldn't help but be worried about Kensi too.

As Callen joined them, Renko gave up, and instead left to clean to blood from his car. He knew that Callen was more capable of taking care of Kensi.

When Callen saw the amount of blood on the front of Kensi's shirt, he reacted the same way Renko had.

"Lift your shirt." He ordered her.

Kensi was sick and tired of being harassed by the guys who seemed to think they needed to help her, and she finally lost her temper.

"I'm not a little kid, Callen! I can take care of myself! I don't understand why all of you seem to think that I'm unable to do that! This blood is not mine, I'm perfectly fine, so leave me alone already!"

Callen was unaffected by her yelling, and instead moved closer to her.

"Kensi, I'm only doing this because I care, and because Renko won't be able to relax until he knows that you're not hurt. Please, just let me see that you're okay, and I'll go tell him."

She sighed, she really wasn't going to get out of this one.

She lifted her shirt, just a little bit, knowing that this was the only way she was going to be able to end the conversation, and get away from Callen and back to her work. She didn't notice how Callen's eyes lingered on the small bump on her usually flat stomach for a moment.

He cleared his throat, and she quickly pulled her shirt back down.

He offered her a small smile before leaving.

Not much, but it was a start.


	16. Hormones

Chapter 16

As she entered the building, she noticed that she was the first one on the team to arrive that morning. She had left the house before Callen had even woken up and gone to the beach, hoping to calm herself with a leisurely walk.

She had barely slept the night before, as hard as she tried, she could not find a comfortable position in which to sleep. The doctor had told her at her last appointment that some women found in comfortable to sleep cuddled with their husbands during pregnancy. That had depressed Kensi even further. She did not have the supportive husband or boyfriend that many women had during their pregnancies. She was, for the most part, on her own.

Kensi put her bag down at her desk and walked over to the coffee machine. It was her routine, and she was trying to break the habit, but on mornings like these when she was lost in her own thoughts, she did it out of habit. Luckily, someone always caught her and took the coffee away.

On this morning, however, no one stopped her. She took her coffee over to her desk and sat down. She was just getting her things out of her bag when Callen walked in and greeted her. She gave him a nod, but did not start up a conversation. Instead she turned on her computer and grabbed her coffee.

"Do you have any idea of what that does to you?"

Kensi frowned and looked at Callen but he continued, while preparing her a cup of tea.

"It increases your blood pressure and heart rate, not to mention the effects that it might have on the baby. Here, drink this instead."

Kensi accepted the cup of tea that Callen was holding out to her, and reluctantly let him take the coffee away from her.

Callen sat down on his desk, ignoring the look Kensi was giving him. He hadn't referred to it as 'her' baby, instead he said 'the' baby. It wasn't much, but it was a start. At this point, she had given up the hope that he would refer to it as 'their' baby. She was happy enough that, for the first time, he had acknowledged that she was actually carrying their future son or daughter.

Yet, she knew it wasn't enough. He wasn't just her friend, and his actions wouldn't mean anything to her until he started acting like he cared about _his_ baby. Was that so much to ask?

X

X

X

(3 weeks later)

She was now 12 weeks pregnant, and so close to being done with the first trimester, and with it, hopefully, the morning sickness.

Meanwhile, he was still living in her house.

She hadn't mentioned it, she hadn't told him to leave, and she hadn't told him to stay. She was pretty sure that he was keeping an eye on her, although it could just be that he didn't have anywhere else to go.

Some of the time, she liked having him there. He cooked sometimes, and cleaned sometimes, and he didn't get in her way. As long as he didn't invade her space, she was fine with it, and it was comforting to know that even though he was uncomfortable with their current situation, it wasn't enough to make him leave. He still cared about her enough to stay. At least, that was what she thought.

She, however, was a hormonal pregnant woman. She used to think it was all crap, and that pregnant women just used hormones as an excuse to justify their crazy behavior, but now that she herself was a crazy pregnant woman, she totally understood the hormone thing. Sometimes she would get angry or upset over the littlest things. Fortunately, it didn't happen too often, but when it did, it was not pretty.

For example, one morning, Callen had gotten up and made eggs for the two of them before they had to leave for work. Normally, Kensi liked eggs. She had even eaten eggs the morning before. But on this morning, the smell of eggs made her want to vomit. There was no way that Callen could have known that. She knew that she shouldn't be angry with him. But the hormones took over. She stormed into the kitchen, ready to make Callen sorry for cooking the offending breakfast food.

"What are you doing?" she had asked.

"Making breakfast, eggs are okay, right?" he had replied, not yet understanding her anger.

"No, actually, eggs are not okay! Why did you make eggs? As if I wasn't having enough trouble with all this being sick all the time!"

"Kensi, I'm sorry." He had said calmly, trying to avoid any more yelling. "I didn't know that they were going to make you sick."

"Well, you should have-" she had started, but before she could finish, she had to put a hand over her mouth and run to the bathroom.

For the first time in a while, Callen followed her into the bathroom, rubbing her back while she threw up and getting her a glass of water afterwards.

She should have been grateful, she knew that. She should have thanked him for staying with her and letting him know that he didn't do anything wrong by making breakfast for her, that he was just trying to help.

Instead, she let her emotions get the best of her. All the pain he had caused her overwhelmed her in that moment, and she lost it.

"What are you even doing here?" she asked, sounding much harsher than she had meant to.

"What? Kensi, I'm just-"

"You don't want this baby, you're not here for it, and you've given me no indication that you're here for me, so why are you here?"

"Kensi, I never said-"

"You act like you care, you make breakfast and try to help out, but I don't need you to cook for me Callen! I don't need you to protect me! If you're going to be here, then I want you here for me _and_ the baby!"

"Maybe, I should go, and let you cool down. We can talk later." He replied calmly.

"I don't want to talk! What I want is for you to decide what you want! The baby and I, we're a package deal now, you can't only have one of us!"

"Kenz, I-"

"I can't do this right now, I don't want to hear you try and explain your actions." She said sadly.

She knew she should have stayed, but instead, she grabbed her bag and walked out the door. She'd get breakfast on the way to work.


	17. Facing Reality

**Hey all! Sorry this took me so long! I've been spending the summer with the kids, but once my eldest goes back to school on Monday and I go back to work, it will be business as usual. Hopefully that will mean more frequent updates for you guys!**

Kensi sighed as she parked her car outside the OSP center. The empty box of donuts on the seat next to her was a testimony to her problem when it came to nerves and sugar. She couldn't control it, especially not now with her hormones and cravings raging through her body. At least gorging herself on sugar once in a while wasn't going to hurt the baby, unlike getting drunk, which is what she normally would have done in a situation like this one.

She finally got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the building, but before she reached out to open it, Callen walked up beside her. He didn't say a word, just stood there with his arms crossed, as if he was waiting for her to say something. Kensi didn't want to give him the satisfaction by giving up the fight, but she also knew that she had been the one in the wrong that morning, and she needed to apologize.

She took a deep breath and gathered the courage to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Callen. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that this morning. I know you were just being nice and cooking breakfast but it's hard to control my emotions right now."

She decided not to mention that it was the hormones from the pregnancy that were caused her to react the way she did that morning, because the topic of her pregnancy was still an uncomfortable one between the two of them.

Then it was Callen's turn to get angry. He was furious at her, she could tell by the way he was looking at her.

"Do you seriously think that's what I want to hear? Are you completely out of your mind, Kensi? I couldn't care less about you yelling at me, hell, you could have even kicked me and punched my for all I care. I'm fine with you getting angry, but don't you ever disappear like you did this morning. Do you have any idea how worried I was? One minute you're bending over the toilet and the next thing I know you're leaving the house without even eating breakfast. You can't do this to me, Kenz."

She tried her best not to start crying, she didn't want him to see her break down. But she did. She blamed it on her stupid hormones, but maybe this time it was something else, too. He was angry at her because he cared, not because of the way she had yelled at him. He still cared. She looked down, trying her best to hide her tears.

Callen was not fooled by her weak attempt to stay strong. He took a step closer to her.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" he asked in a calm voice, trying to soothe her.

Kensi nodded without lifting her head and Callen let out a sigh. She was surprised when she felt his hand on her arm, but she couldn't let him see how much this was affecting her. Callen, however, was as stubborn as she was. He lifted her head gently and made her look at him.

The sight of her tear-stained face was enough to break his heart in tiny little pieces. He gathered her in his arms and held her as close to him as possible. Kensi wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, sobbing softly. Callen stroked her head with one hand and her back with the other hand, all the while leaving soft soothing kisses on the top of her head.

She didn't know how long it took her to calm down, but Callen never tried to pull away from her. He just held her, doing his best to calm her down. When was finally able to speak coherently again, Kensi pulled away from him and wiped away her remaining tears.

It was then that she noticed the worry still present in his eyes.

"Thank you for that." She said softly.

Callen sighed and shook his head. He then grabbed her hand and held onto it.

"Kensi, don't thank me. I know that things between us haven't been great lately but that doesn't mean that I don't care anymore. You're…"

He paused, not knowing how to continue.

"You're my best friend." He said quietly, "And I can't lose my best friend. I still worry about you. That's not going to change anytime soon."

He took one step closer to her and grabbed her hand.

"Kenz, I'm not ready to deal with…I mean, I don't know how to deal with the whole baby thing. But that doesn't mean that I want to leave you. And you know me. I won't leave you alone. I'm confused and I don't know exactly what to do, but I'm not going to make you do this all on your own. I just need time, Kensi. Can you give me that?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile. For the first time in weeks, Callen smiled too and hugged her.

"I can give you time, Callen. I can be patient. But the baby won't wait. Once he or she is here, you have to make a decision, whether you want to be a part of our lives or not. Okay?"

Although she had a small glimmer of hope, Kensi knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Callen still wasn't facing the reality of the situation, and she wasn't going to subject their child to an on again/off again father once he or she was born. Kensi could only hope that Callen would make a decision sometime in the coming months.


End file.
